This invention relates to a locking mechanism to prevent accidental lowering of a tilted operator's cab of an earthmoving vehicle, and, more particularly, to such a locking mechanism which is automatically operable to prevent downward movement of the cab upon the cab being raised to a selected, tilted maintenance position.
Operators' cabs on earthmoving vehicles are often pivotally mounted on the vehicle frame to facilitate access to vehicle components which underlie the cab when in a substantially horizontal operating position. A hydraulic jack or other lifting element is used to raise the cab to a tilted maintenance position in which the vehicle components are exposed whenever maintenance work and repairs thereto are required. Typically, means are provided to prevent accidental lowering of the cab. Examples of such lowering prevention means are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,875,850 issued Apr. 8, 1975, to Reynolds et al and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,578,377 of Babbitt, Jr., et al, issued Jan. 13, 1969, to Caterpillar Tractor Co., the assignee of the present invention.